My son Afonso turns twenty-four today. As a storyteller, I have decided to write him a story for his birthday. … Once upon a time there was a boy, who was much loved by his family and had good friends, but even so he was shy; his father thought sports would do him good; after an unsuccessful attempt at basketball he enrolled him in rugby, not too popular at the time in Portugal. He had been told rugby, as a …
Tag: courage
A year ago my friend Gabi turned 50 and she was planning a big party with her family and friends, when suddenly she had terrible news: she had breast cancer. Naturally she had no heart for the party so she cancelled it. Now this would be a huge blow for anyone, but when you have had kidney problems for many years, begun dialysis at forty, had a kidney transplant only to have that same kidney removed a mere two …
I had arrived the previous evening from a business meeting in Bergen, Norway, tired after two plane trips, but had woken up feeling refreshed and happy. I had many things to do as the following day would be Afonso’s first communion and we’d have a party at our beach house for our family and close friends. Dad and Ilda (my stepmother) had come to Lisbon for the party and had been over for dinner with Miguel and the boys while I …
